Seems like you can find finger puppets everywhere, but just try to find a good finger puppet theater. Problem solved. You can make this absolutely great finger puppet theater out of any cereal box and be ready for curtain time in about ten minutes.
It’s compact and sets up in an instant, but the most exciting part is that you get to design every part of the theater. Total creative control! Put the stage down low, or up high, or have more than one stage. Do a play about ants underground, or cloud characters up in the sky, or friends living in an apartment building. Your theater can be anything. You can even decorate more than one theater for your show and switch them out for scenery changes.
A simple square stage is very nice too.
Full how-to’s below. And here’s a short play you can do when your theater is ready.
Make in minutes with any empty cereal box
Decorate to match your puppet show - or enjoy using as-is
Folds up to store on a shelf, sets up instantly
Lots of other ways to use this theater as well; see below!
Steps At a Glance:
Ready? Here’s how:
1
You’ll need:
any empty cereal box
scissors
tape
a pin
pencil
2
Open up the bottom of the box.
Open the side seam by gently separating the two sides. If the glue is stubborn try starting from the other end.
3
Find the big panel that sits between the two side panels and draw a giant letter T. Leave about 1/2” between the top of the T and the top of the box.
On the other big panel draw a rectangle for your stage leaving space as shown.
4
Cut off the bottom flaps, and cut out the stage. You can use a pin to make a starter hole for your scissors.
5
Tape the whole side seam closed from top to bottom.
Tip: I like to put the narrow glue flap underneath the bigger flap.
6
Turn your box over. Cut up the stem of the T, then out to each edge. Tip: Use just the tips of the scissors at first when making the side cuts.
Open up the wings of your theater.
7
Leave the top flap over the stage standing up, and tape the other three top flaps closed.
And your new theater is ready! Use it plain or decorate it. Another time you can try a different shape for your stage, putting your stage up high or down low, or even cutting out more than one stage in a single Cereal Box Theater. You could even have a different design of Cereal Box Theater for each scene in your play. You have total creative control! So many things to try! See even more ideas below.
Take a look at this post for tips on decorating brown paper boxes.
Questions
What if my box peels when I open the side seam?
No worries - it happens! The box I used for this post peeled pretty good and it didn’t matter. Just pull the bigger shreds away to clean up the edge.
If your box tears, that’s no problem either. Repair the rip with tape on both sides.
Can I decorate my theater while it’s flat?
Definitely! I recommend putting one together plain just to see how it works. Next time, try decorating while it’s flat and see which way you like better.
and try this:
If Plays Aren’t Your Thing
So many other things can happen on a stage. Your puppet can:
Tell jokes
Answer questions from the audience
Tell a story of something that happened that day
Sing or do karaoke
Dance to music
Interview another puppet, or an audience member
Thank you for reading! If you have questions, please drop me a line.